May 25—A Eubank man accused of murder has agreed to participate in a mediation with the prosecution which, if successful, may head off a trial in the case.

Jesse Ray Roberts, 35, is accused of striking 49-year-old David Naylor with a pipe and killing him at Naylor's shed on July 17, 2021.

He is charged with Murder, first-degree Burglary, Tampering with Physical Evidence, being a Convicted Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Possession of a Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine).

The mediation is scheduled for June 7.

Pulaski County Circuit Judge Teresa Whitaker told Roberts and attorneys for both sides that should the mediation be successful, she would be available to hear the results of it on that day.

If not successful, however, Whitaker said she will schedule the case for another court date.

Roberts was taken into custody on July 29, 2021 after an investigation by the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office.

A preliminary investigation tied the July 17 homicide to an attempted robbery call that PCSO had responded to earlier that morning.

At that time, Roberts alleged that Naylor kept showing up at his junkyard just down the road from Naylor's shed. Roberts told investigators that when he took Naylor home, Naylor came out of his shed with a shotgun and threatened to rob Roberts at which point Roberts struck Naylor with a pipe. Roberts' version of events, according to testimony at a probable cause hearing, was initially corroborated by his sister's boyfriend, Ryan Davis.

However, investigators were troubled by the story — mainly because no shotgun was found near Naylor's body. Plus video footage secured from a home between Naylor's shed and Roberts' junkyard showed a vehicle — which turned out to be Roberts' truck — making several trips back and forth over some 90 minutes in the early morning hours of July 17.

Davis then changed his story, according to testimony at the probable cause hearing, telling officers that he was working with Roberts at the junkyard when Roberts became irate over missing items he believed that Naylor had stolen.

Roberts reportedly took a pipe with him as he went to Naylor's shed around 4:50 a.m. on July 17. He returned to the junkyard and then went back a second and third time alone before taking Davis with him for a fourth trip — by which time Davis knew that Roberts had struck Naylor and that he was dead, according to testimony from PCSO deputies.

Roberts is currently lodged in the Pulaski County Detention Center.

Readers are reminded that a charge is an accusation only, and that all suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Carla Slavey can be reached at cslavey@somerset-kentucky.com